People, Carnivores, and More…

This article is from P&C’s 2020 Fall Newsletter. Read the newsletter here.

By Kim Johnston

In late spring, the Big Hole Valley is beautifully green with balsam root blooming on the foothills and the snowcapped Beaverhead Mountains crowning the horizon. The Big Hole is a focus of my wolf and grizzly bear connectivity work because it’s an area in which Yellowstone and Crown of the Continent grizzly bears may meet, and it also lies in between Montana wilderness and Central Idaho where we want to see grizzlies roam again someday. We’ve tracked at least one grizzly bear in the Big Hole this year, and it will be critical to keep that bear out of trouble so other bears follow. 

Wolves have been present in the area for years. The Big Hole has a strong ranching tradition and there have been chronic conflicts between wolves and livestock, after which many wolves have been killed. This spring, a large ranch in the valley became one of the centers of my conflict work, and thus far has displayed how effective prevention tools can be. 

I started talking with the multi-generational family cattle ranch this past winter. At first, the ranchers were resistant to trying the tools, but eventually they agreed to give them a shot. Together, we installed an 80-acre fladry fence to keep wolves away from calves. We then set up trail cameras to monitor activity, and the photos showed wolves frequently approaching the fladry perimeter, but we were successful in preventing conflicts, with no losses on either side of the fence. We added Foxlights (random flashing lights) when wolves appeared to be coming close. After the fladry, we cost-shared on four livestock guardian dogs to keep livestock and wolves separated. No wolves have been lethally removed this year, and the wolf pack had pups this spring. 

We are using tools on 10% of the ranch, leaving more than 5,000 acres as wildlife habitat. Earlier this summer, I visited the ranch to check on the guardian dogs. That afternoon I witnessed 30 elk and calves and a dozen pronghorn antelope with fawns sharing a field. Our cameras have also recorded black bears, coyotes, fox families, badgers, and a moose in the area. 

Here’s the most amazing thing: I checked a trail camera on the ranch in June, and it captured a grizzly bear – the first confirmed grizzly sighting this far south in decades. When I shared this with the ranchers, they were alarmed, but it has turned into a tremendous opportunity to talk about how we’re going to manage this and keep everyone (people and carnivores) safe. This is just one of many ongoing P&C projects in southwestern Montana, but in rural communities like the Big Hole, one project becomes five projects becomes ten projects becomes... coexistence!